AGE OF HEROES #4 (of 4)
Written by JONATHAN MABERRY, ELLIOTT KALAN, JOE CASEY & DAN SLOTT
Penciled by GIANLUCA GUGLIOTTA, NATHAN FOX, TY TEMPLETON & MORE!
Cover by JAE LEE
The Heroic Age continues with more titantic tales from across the mighty Marvel U! Follow Shuri, the deadly Black Panther, as she sets the world on fire crossing paths, and claws, with the rest of MU! Find out the truth behind Captain America’s time on ice and the native peoples who stumbled across his frosty tomb! PLUS: Zodiac's back and ready for the Age of Villains to begin...and Steve Rogers: Super-Soldier has an all-new assignment for Initiative cadet Cloud 9!
32 PGS./Rated T+ ...$3.99
You know, I bet this will end up being a decent state-of-the-Marvel Universe-in-2010 collection, as it seems like the series has featured characters—many of them rather minor—from all over the Marvel Universe, starring in stories by a lot of interesting creators. This issue sounds like it will have a short follow-up to that weird-looking Joe Casey and Nathan Fox Dark Reign: Zodiac miniseries, for example, and look, there’s some Ty Templeton art, too! I love Ty Templeton art!
AVENGERS & THE INFINITY GAUNTLET #1 (of 4)
Written by BRIAN CLEVINGER
Penciled by BRIAN CHURILLA
Cover by HUMBERTO RAMOS
The evil THANOS has acquired the Infinity Gems, granting him control over the entire universe. He’s destroyed half the population of all worlds. The only force standing in his way? THE AVENGERS! But how can a ragtag group of heroes and villains (!) overpower the unstoppable? Check out the non-stop, pulse-pounding, white-knuckling action brought to you by Brian Clevinger (Atomic Robo) and Brian Churilla (Rex Mundi, The Anchor)!
40 PGS./Rated A ...$2.99
Well here’s an interesting project. A presumably all-ages and new reader-friendly retelling of the Infinity Gauntlet story by the guy who writes Atomic Robo and the guy who draws The Anchor. And it’s oversized, with a $3 price tag? Weird.
DARKSTAR AND THE WINTER GUARD #3 (of 3)
Written by DAVID GALLAHER
Penciled by STEVE ELLIS
Cover by CLAYTON HENRY
Betrayed by one of their own, The Winter Guard now must confront a new threat that could mean the end of Russia as we know it! If you thought last issue's surprise was amazing, just wait until you see what the Presence has in store! The Harvey Award winning team behind “High Moon” brings you the conclusion to the miniseries that will leave you speechless. And, by the time this issue is over, you will believe a bear can fly!
40 PGS./Rated T+ ...$3.99
I think I expressed some interest in this book when the earlier issues were solicited, but that was before I realized that writer David Gallaher is apparently an extremely unpleasant person. Here he is Twittering something mean toward a prominent comics blogger, and here he is doing it again. What was his beef with her? Well, Gallaher’s ever-volatile girlfriend had one of her semi-regular conflicts with someone else in the comics blogosphere. I’d post links for those of you who have no idea what I’m talking about but a) I don’t really wanna talk about or hear anyone else talk about any more of that psychodrama and b) one of the participants in the conflict recently announced that she was closing her blog and has since made it invite-only, so I can't link to her reactions to the person Gallaher told to go fuck herself.
At any rate, the point here is that if you’re a comics writer, particularly one writing for the Big Two, and a large part of your job is trying to convince comics readers to buy your comics, it may not be a good idea to take to Twitter and tell comics critics, bloggers and fans to fuck off.
I know I’m not going to want to drop a couple dollars on anything that’s going in the direction of someone telling my peers to fuck off because that writer's girlfriend got mad at them for some never-explained reason.
DEADPOOL #1000
Written by DAVE LAPHAM, PETER BAGGE, ADAM GLASS, HOWARD CHAYKIN, FRED VAN LENTE, ROB WILLIAMS & MORE!
Penciled by JEROME OPENA, PACO MEDINA & PHILP BOND, DAVE LAPHAM, PETER BAGGE, HOWARD CHAYKIN & MORE!
Cover by DAVE JOHNSON
Has it really been 100 issues since Deadpool #900? Who cares! Some of comics’ top creators take aim at the Merc with a Mouth in this massive 104-page special that pits the Deadpool against a cavalcade of baddies – including urban cannibals...underage hit men...mimes from outer space...and Lady Luck herself.
104 PGS./Parental Advisory ...$4.99
There’s a whole lot of talent involved with this book, but I think the solicit can be boiled down thusly to highlight the most fascinating aspect: “DEADPOOL…Written by…PETER BAGGE…Penciled by…PETER BAGGE.”
The cover of Essential Captain America Vol. 1 makes it look like Steve Rogers got caught in a Gamma Bomb explosion and has transformed into a giant, monstrous Captain America, doesn’t it? 
I recently started reading Cromartie High School, and I’m afraid that after meeting the original gorilla that is maybe a high school student of some kind there, Ken “Gorilla-Man” Hale is no longer my favorite gorilla in comics.However I’ll still be reading the three-issue Gorilla-Man miniseries, of which this is the cover of the second issue.
Wow, nice cover Salva Espin! HULK #24
Written by JEPH LOEB
Pencils & Wraparound Cover by ED MCGUINNESS
Variant Cover by DALE KEOWN
THIS IS IT. THE END OF WORLD WAR HULKS! WHO WILL LIVE?
WHO WILL DIE? CAN THE MARVEL UNIVERSE SURVIVE WITH A GREEN HULK AND A RED HULK? BE HERE FOR THE FINAL CHAPTER IN THE RED HULK SAGA AS THE SUPERSTAR TEAM OF JEPH LOEB AND ED MCGUINNESS REVEAL THE FINAL FATE OF THE RED HULK!
32 PGS./Rated T+ ...$3.99
Huh? They’re going to reveal the Red Hulk’s final fate before they reveal his (or her) identity?
INVADERS: THE EVE OF DESTRUCTION TPB
Written by ROGER STERN
Penciled by STEVE EPTING, MIKE MANLEY, BRETT BLEVINS & JASON ARMSTRONG
Cover by CARLOS PACHECO
It's 1945, and World War II is almost over – but Hydra founder Baron Wolfgang von Strucker is already planning the next one with insider information from the future! It's up to the Invaders to re-write Strucker's history books and drive down his Dragon of Death! Then, more than ten years later, Doctor Druid forms the Monster Hunters to face another pivotal enemy, one whose schemes date back centuries! Collecting MARVEL UNIVERSE #1-7.
184 PGS./Rated A ...$19.99
Hey, can anyone recommend or warn against these comics? I would like to read some old Invaders comics at some point…is t his a good place to start?
MARVEL UNIVERSE VS. THE PUNISHER #1 & 2 (of 4)
Written by JONATHAN MABERRY
Pencils & Cover by GORAN PARLOV
The creative team of Jonathan Maberry and Goran Parlov take you on a journey into the darkest territory in this Marvel Knights limited series.
A terrible plague has swept the Earth, turning everyone – human, hero, villain, god and monster — into sadistic cannibal predators. As Spider-Man, the Hulk, the Thing and other infected start a feeding frenzy, the world falls in a wave of insatiable violence. Now, five years later, one man hunts the wasteland that was New York City. One man stands against the hordes of monsters who hunt the night. He is the Punisher, the Last Gun on Earth. And he has an endless supply of ammunition.
32 PGS.(each)/Parental Advisory ...$3.99 (each)
This may be a stupid question, but is there a difference between “sadistic cannibal predators” in a post-apocalyptic Marvel Universe and Marvel “zombies” in a post-apocaplyptic Marvel Universe…?
NAMOR: THE FIRST MUTANT #1Written by STUART MOORE
Penciled by ARIEL OLIVETTI
Cover by JAE LEE
Spinning out of the pages of X-MEN #1, comes an all-new series starring the world’s first mutant, NAMOR THE SUB-MARINER. When the X-Men are confronted with a deadly vampire threat, Namor takes matters into his own hands on a mission that might bring down the entire might of the vampires on their heads...and in the process, destroy Atlantis! What lurks down below the ocean where the sun can’t reach? What he thought was a fable to scare the children of Atlantis comes to terrifying life in the form of a newly-discovered race of Atlantean Vampires. Namor’s choice, to stand with Atlantis or the X-Men, will define a new chapter in his life...or death.
40 PGS./Rated T+ ...$3.99
Oh no! I’ve been trying not to start any new series and stick with trade collections moving forward, but I wasn’t counting on a new Namor series about Namor fighting vampires…! What will I do?!
Hmm, well Olivetti’s drawing it, and I kinda hated his work on that Hercules two-parter, so maybe I’ll be able to resist the siren call of Namor beating up vampires after all. I guess I still have a few months to steel myself.
Hmmm…you know, I think I kinda like Daredevil’s new costume. Not crazy about the font on the DD, but the DD was always my least favorite part of his costumeI think this “Shadowland” event/crossover story is sort of interesting simply because usually when Marvel or DC do event/crossovers, they are always somewhat cosmic in scale, due to the fact that they have to involve conflicts and threats that would necessitate the attention of a whole bunch of superheroes. But with Shadowland, it looks like they’re just going to use all of their street-level heroes, plus some Spider-Man and Wolverine types for sales.
So I guess in scale, scope and tone, this is going to end up being more like one of the Bat-crossovers of the ‘90s than the typical Marvel crossover event/story (Even the franchise specific ones, like Fall of the Hulks and Annihilation usually involve a ton of superpowers and a world or worlds in danger, where this looks more city-focused).
It’s kind of surprising that Brian Michael Bendis never wrote an “all the street-level heroes fight” event like this, but I guess he was sort of finishing saying everything he had to say about Daredevil before he got into the business of cranking out a big Marvel crossover every year or two…
SPIDER-GIRL: THE END! #1
Written by TOM DEFALCO
Pencils & Cover by RON FRENZ
THIS IS IT! In a story spanning the history of the MC2 Universe, witness the battle you've been waiting for as Mayday Parker takes on her own clone, April! The fate of the Parker family hangs in the balance -- and so does an entire universe! The last stand of the Amazing Spider-Girl is here!
40 PGS./One-Shot/Rated A ...$3.99
Yeah, but doesn’t Spider-Girl reach the end like every three or four months?
ULTIMATE COMICS MYSTERY #2 (of 4)Written by BRIAN MICHAEL BENDIS
Penciled by RAFA SANDOVAL
Cover by J. SCOTT CAMPBELL
Spider-Man and Spider-Woman infiltrate Roxxon, while Captain Marvel and Nova protect the magical artifacts of Project Pegasus. Meanwhile the Fantastic Three take on their first assignment as agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. All this and the countdown to the reveal of the mystery villain of the Ultimate Universe begins! BRIAN MICHAEL BENDIS (Siege) and RAFA SANDOVAL (Avengers: The Initiative) continue to thrill in this thriller that’s sure to shock!
32 PGS./Rated T+ ...$3.99
I didn’t realize they introduced an Ultimate Nova already. I’m way out of the Ultimate Universe loop, I guess. Is that him on the cover there?
That's Ultimate Captain Marvel. Not that anyone should really be interested. The Ultimate universe has no reason to exist these days.
ReplyDeleteNo comment about how overblown Shadowland is? There are SEVEN Shadowland books being solicited, and the story is only on its second issue.
Well, Caleb -- I'm sorry you feel that way. I'm sorry you feel inclined to make asumptions based on never having met met me or not knowing the specifics of a particular incident -- well so be it. I think my record of talking to fans, being supportive of other creators, and being extremely approachable speaks volumes more than a specific incident. You are welcome to call me at 718-916-3806 or e-mail me directly at David.Gallaher@gmail.com if you'd like to clear the air about this matter. I'll be happy to post this as an 'open letter' on a more public forum, if you'd rather do it that way.
ReplyDeleteUnless there was some sort of mind-F*&!, we learned the identity of Red Hulk (and red She-Hulk) in last week's titles.
ReplyDeleteWho is that beside Ultimate Captain Marvel? Is that supposed to be the Human Torch? And i second what Hdefined said. Shadowland appears to be way beyond bloated at just its second issue.
ReplyDeleteI can't comment on the Stern Invaders portion of the MARVEL UNIVERSE series, but I thoroughly and completely loved Stern/Mike Manley's Monster Hunters' epic, which covers the last three or four issues. I treasure that little run.
ReplyDeleteHave to say, Caleb, the whole "I'm above the fray but not really" nonsense isn't really too endearing. The content may be different, but the spirit of your digression is not that different from that of Gallaher's tweets (and seeing as he's more personally involved in the matter, I would think he actually has more justification for pettiness than you). I don't know (or that much care) who's right, but I do know that the way you keep out of the fray is by Actually Keeping Out Of It.
ReplyDeleteStern's Marvel Universe book was really great, though the Invaders story pales in comparison to the Monster Hunters arc that ran from 4 to 7.
ReplyDeleteGlad to see this getting reprinted though.
Since you ask... 'sadistc cannibal predators' are not zombies, they aren't dead, they don't spread infection, they don't have any special powers (and in many cases they've lost the ability to control their powers through reduced intelligence), and they form primitive but violent tribal states in what was once Manhattan.
ReplyDeleteIt's a strange, brooding existential story...with lots of violence. Hope you check it out.
RE Marvel Universe: I honestly don't remember much from this series, but I do remember enjoying it. To call the whole thing an Invaders story is a bit misleading, though, I think. As others have pointed out, the title focused on more than just the Invaders. Odd time to reprint it considering it's like 12 years old or something.
ReplyDeleteShadowland looks like a lot of fun to me. I *think* that's Ultimate Nova but I can't tell for sure, the Rick Jones business from the end of Ultimate Origin led to him calling himself Nova not too long ago in Ultimate Spider-Man (which is still a great book! but yes I realize you're still crusading and drawing a line in the sand against the insanity and all that...)
ReplyDelete"At any rate, the point here is that if you’re a comics writer, particularly one writing for the Big Two, and a large part of your job is trying to convince comics readers to buy your comics, it may not be a good idea to take to Twitter and tell comics critics, bloggers and fans to fuck off."
ReplyDeleteNone of which he did in those two tweets. He seemed to have just told one particular blogger to "fuck off". There could be other tweets you aren't linking too, but, as, from what I've seen, he's online presence has been as a nice guy (as above) I'm more inclined to give him the benefit of the doubt.
"None of which he did in those two tweets. He seemed to have just told one particular blogger to "fuck off"."
ReplyDeleteWhich does not help his case. Twitter is a very public forum and 'f--- off' is not an appropriate arguement to use in public. One lapse like that undoes years of being a nice guy.
On Namor, didn't Atlantic already get blown up? A couple of times already? Will one more destruction of Atlantic really matter?
>> Which does not help his case. Twitter is a very public forum and 'f--- off' is not an appropriate arguement to use in public. One lapse like that undoes years of being a nice guy. >>
ReplyDeleteYou are entitled to that opinion, certainly. My public comment was addressed to a woman whose private and public comments and e-mails soured our lovely engagement party. Valerie is not my girlfriend, she is my newly aquired fiancé. I stand behind the comment - we only had one engagement party ... and a quick check of the iPhone when it chimed tainted it. This was a private matter - and I offered to talk to Caleb about it offline ... but there you have it. As I mentioned in the tweet and as you can read in the Twitter responses, I don't call people out - it is not in my nature - but this was too big not to address.
Thanks everyone who pointed out that the identity of the Red Hulk(s) was out (he’s one of the only two people he could have logically been, but I’ve read enough of Loeb’s work to realize he didn’t have to use a logical choice. I have a question about the Red Hulk’s appearance, but I can’t talk about it without being spoiler-y, so I guess I’ll wait a while).
ReplyDeleteAnd thanks to everyone who offered commentary on The Invaders stuff.
Well, Caleb -- I'm sorry you feel that way. I'm sorry you feel inclined to make asumptions based on never having met met me or not knowing the specifics of a particular incident -- well so be it.
Is the context in which you made those posts to Twitter really relevant? And if so, why not discuss it in the posts? Why would a comics reader need to meet and get to know a comics writer personally before choosing to read his books or not; shouldn’t the work of the writer—and whatever else that writer goes out of their way to make public—be all a reader needs to know when deciding whether or not they want to read that writer’s work?
I’m not really interested in why you might have behaved a certain way on a certain day, and making a phone call or emailing you sounds like an awful lot of work to put into dashing off a few sentences on a blog post about Marvel’s solicitations.
Who is that beside Ultimate Captain Marvel? Is that supposed to be the Human Torch?
Yeah, that’s the guy I was assuming was meant to be Nova, as I recognize Ultimate Captain Marvel from one of Ellis’ Ultimate thingees. If that is Ultimate Nova, his design doesn’t look too terribly inspired—he looks like a genital-free Human Torch. And Liz Allen has the same basic look too, doesn’t she?
Have to say, Caleb, the whole "I'm above the fray but not really" nonsense isn't really too endearing.
ReplyDeleteEh, I’m not too terribly interested in whether you—or any readers, really—hold me dear or not, but thanks for the heads-up I guess.
As for “the fray,” there is no fray, or conflict of any kind. As the title indicates, this is a post about the comic books Marvel is going to be selling to readers in August of this year and the way in which they’re selling them…as well as my reaction to their pitches. The writer of one of ‘em un-sold a comic to me. That does not a conflict make.
Since you ask... 'sadistc cannibal predators' are not zombies, they aren't dead, they don't spread infection, they don't have any special …It's a strange, brooding existential story...with lots of violence. Hope you check it out.
Thanks for clarifying! I’ll certainly give the trade a look when it comes out.
I *think* that's Ultimate Nova but I can't tell for sure, the Rick Jones business from the end of Ultimate Origin led to him calling himself Nova not too long ago in Ultimate Spider-Man
Ah, thanks. I haven’t read any Ultimate books since Ultimatum, but I do plan on getting back into USM once they’ve got a couple of trade paperbacks collecting the new volume going.
None of which he did in those two tweets. He seemed to have just told one particular blogger to "fuck off". There could be other tweets you aren't linking too, but, as, from what I've seen, he's online presence has been as a nice guy (as above) I'm more inclined to give him the benefit of the doubt.
Yyyyeeeah, he told a blogger—who is also a critic, fan and potential reader—to go fuck herself on Twitter. I don’t really care how often he does it or if he builds houses for the homeless or donates all the profits he makes from Darkstar comics to researching a cure for baldness, when I see the name “David Gallaher” right now I think “The guy who told Johanna Draper Carlson to go fuck herself on Twitter.” My next thought, obviously, isn’t, “Hey, I wanna buy this comic!"
Gallaher, I meant what I said in the original post that I didn’t want to talk about or hear anyone else talk about that particular psychodrama, but fine, here goes…
My public comment was addressed to a woman…
But it was public, so it was addressed to Anyone With An Internet Connection, wasn’t it?
This was a private matter
Which you addressed publicly, on Twitter, instead of in a private email to Carlson?
…to a woman whose private and public comments and e-mails soured our lovely engagement party. Valerie is not my girlfriend, she is my newly aquired fiancé. I stand behind the comment - we only had one engagement party ... and a quick check of the iPhone when it chimed tainted it….
I can’t reply to that in any way that won’t sound snide and/or condescending: You’re a grown-up, it’s up to you what you let bother you, you’re responsible for your own emotional reaction, maybe you shouldn’t have been checking your iphone during your engagement party, who cares, maybe your newly acquired fiancée should have either ignored Carlson’s request or not wrote the mean reply she did, et cetera et cetera. See? There’s nowhere to go with that.
Whatever you were up to when you made those tweets—which is none of my or anyone else’s damn business, so I’m not sure why you’re volunteering it—they weren’t very professional and, as of a month later, have tainted your byline for me personally when I decide what comic books I want to buy.
So I don’t want to read your Darkstar miniseries now. I fail to see why this is of any great interest to you. I know direct market comics sales are crazy-low, but they can’t be so low that writers need to personally court every potential reader, can they? (And, if so, that just goes right back to what I was saying about telling a potential reader to go fuck herself, doesn’t it?)
>>I can’t reply to that in any way that won’t sound snide and/or condescending: You’re a grown-up, it’s up to you what you let bother you, you’re responsible for your own emotional reaction >>
ReplyDeleteWell, I'm sorry you feel that way. Just as you are entitled to your opinion on your blog, I'm entitled to my opinion on my Twitter account which is meant for my family, my friends, and my followers. I am a grown-up, obviously ... and I'm certainly entitled to my human emotions -- just as you are entitled to be snide and/or condescending. I didn't have to address this matter at all ... because honestly it wasn't any of your business in the first place. But I provided my number and my address if case you wanted to address this - and I have made myself available to talk about this ... like a grown up. Sorry you won't be buying the book -- it's kinda awesome. See you at Newsarama!
"Yyyyeeeah, he told a blogger—who is also a critic, fan and potential reader—"
ReplyDeleteI look forward to your continued coverage of Curse- Gate if and when Gallaher is given a major assignment at Marvel.
:)